NEWTON – The West Lincoln Bears fell to the Newton Tigers 71-59 in Saturday’s Class 2A boys state playoff action.

The Bears, coached by Lane Young, finished the season with a 19-11 record overall.

Newton 71, West Lincoln 59 

The Tigers and the Bears fought back and forth in a defensive battle to begin the first quarter as Newton lead 11-9. In the second quarter the defensive struggle continue as the Tigers carried a 26-23 lead into halftime.

In the second half, the Tigers ended up winning the scoring battle against West Lincoln by outscoring the Bears 45-36 in the final two quarters.

“We played extremely hard throughout whole game,” said Young. “We had trouble scoring in the fourth quarter when Ronnie fouled out but the guys kept competing to the end. I’m proud of what these guys accomplished this year. They did everything I asked of them all year. Our seniors Ronnie Keshaun and Jayden did a super job being the leaders on our team this year. It was a super fun year coaching these guys.”

Ronnie Edwards powered the Bears’ offensive attack with 22 points and had five rebounds. Keshaun London chipped in 16 points. Adam Martinez contributed 12 points and had 13 rebounds. Dominique Chism provided three points. Le’Darrius Jones, Jayden Rushing and Donterrius Taylor finished with two points apiece. Taylor helped on the boards by grabbing eight rebounds.

Isiah Edwards was the top scorer for the Tigers with 25 points. DeAngelo Flowers netted 14 points and Steven Miller scored 13 points.